Daniel Ricciardo has put Max Verstappen ahead of Sebastian Vettel in terms of being his toughest teammate during his almost four-year spell with the Red Bull team.
The Australian was drafted in to replace fellow Australian Mark Webber at the beginning of 2014 and alongside Vettel after he had claimed the last his current tally of four world titles.
Unfortunately, his arrival coincided with the start of the new hybrid era which signalled an end to the Milton Keynes outfit’s period of success and eventually the German leaving the team for Ferrari after becoming frustrated by the engine situation.
That year, Ricciardo would also announce himself by claiming three victories to Sebastian’s none and would finish third in the Drivers’ standings while the now 30-year-old was only fifth behind then Williams driver Valtteri Bottas.
A season and five four races with Daniil Kvyat would ensue before the Russian was demoted in favour of the next big talent in Verstappen, who immediately announced himself by winning his first race with the team in Spain last year.
Some comparisons have been drawn between both Vettel and Verstappen, and the pair have had their share of moments together on the track, but Ricciardo is probably best-placed to compare them.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Seb – he is and was and still is a great driver – but I believe Max is the toughest team-mate. Hopefully, he says the same for me…” the 28-year-old told Channel 4.
This season it was expected both Ricciardo and Verstappen would return to the championship battle with the new rules anticipated to suit Red Bull. Instead, they have been the third-best team, although the man from Perth has a win to his name in Baku.
If they had been stronger it was thought their friendly relationship could be jeopardised but instead, there has only been one moment of contention between them after colliding at the start in Hungary.
“The marshal was pulling me off the track, I was like ‘don’t touch me’, I really wanted to wait for Max to drive past,” Ricciardo said reflecting on the incident. “In the heat of the moment, I may have said some things… but I still feel that I handled myself all right.
“We’ve moved on. Obviously, I was upset but that was out of my control, so what more can I do? He apologised like a man, that was important. We had a private sit down, pretty much like we are now but without the cameras, and we spoke so that was important.”
Looking forward, both are considering their future with the team after this year’s disappointment and potential concerns of a future Honda tie-up, should, as reported, current engine supplier Renault does not renew their contract after 2018.
Team boss Christian Horner is relaxed about the prospect, however.
“Well, both of our drivers are currently under contract at least for next year and it’s down to us to produce a good car, be competitive,” he said. “Then of course, why would the drivers want to be anywhere else?
Should either Dan or Max go elsewhere, the Briton is unconcerned with Carlos Sainz still in a position to step up after only being loaned to Renault for next year.
“We’re obviously not short of options on drivers but obviously, our preference is absolutely to retain the two that we have in the car at the moment,” he concluded
